iAwkward NOT CONTINUING
by MissTheatricality
Summary: "I can't, Sam. You know that."  "But you're my best friend! Isn't this what best friends do for each other?"  "I'm not doing anything else for you. This time, your on your own."
1. iTruth

"In five, four, three, two!" Freddie cued us to start the show.

"I'mma be Carly…" Carly beamed.

"I'mma be Sam…" I grinned.

"AND THIS IS iCARLY!" We yelled in unison.

"To open the show for us, please welcome to the studio…" Carly started.

"The return of my cousin -" I continued.

"-the one who _isn't _in jail-" Carly interjected.

"Greg Patillo, the beat-boxing flute-playing superstar!" I gestured to the giant coffee cup behind us, and Greg popped up from the inside and began to play.

"Woo!" Carly cheered. I started to dance along, and Carly followed suit.

"Thank you for that awesome intro, Greg!" Carly smiled. "And thank you to my brother, Spencer, for creating that giant coffee cup!"

"Filled with real coffee!" I put in.

"What do I do now?" Greg asked.

"Get outta here, Greg!" I yelled. He jumped out of the cup, and ran out the door, flute-playing and beat-boxing.

"That boy doesn't know how to stop." Freddie rolled his eyes.

"Hey, no talking from the co-worker, Frederina!"

"No talking from the juvi girl, Sam… dork."

"And that's why you're _behind _the camera!" I decided to re-use one of my old attacks. Couldn't hurt.

"Moving on!" Carly interrupted before things got out of hand, as usual. "Every week, we get thousands of emails from iCarly fans all over the world!"

"So we thought we'd answer a couple, so you don't get angry and wreck our studio!" I said, way to optimistically for the line. Purposely, of course. This is iCarly, isn't it?

"Just like those evil Petographers!" Carly moved in close to the camera. "Chocopops wants to know, is it possible to glue a handful of wet cabbage to a wall with chili? Weird question, Chocopops, but…" Carly gestured to me to finish.

"Lets! Find! Out!" I punched the air with each syllable. "I'd eat that chili." I added in quickly, because now I wanted some chili _so_ bad, but the show doesn't finish for another twenty minutes.

"Freddie, roll the clip!" Carly asked.

"Playback." Freddie clicked a few buttons on his computer.

I wish everything was still like that.

"What am I gonna do?" I tried to keep the anxiety out of my voice, but I couldn't.

"Go talk to him," Carly said softly. "Tell him everything you told me."

"Why don't you go talk to him for me?"

"Because I can't, Sam. You know that."

"But you're my best friend! Isn't this what best friends do for each other?"

"Ugh!" Carly groaned. "You know how much I do for you, and this time you're on your own."

"Please?"

"No." And her tone was so fierce that my eyes widened. This time, I _was _on my own.

I sighed. "I'm doing this for you, Carls. Is he still at the Groovy Smoothie?"

"I think, I'll go check his apartment. Wait here and don't do anything stupid." I watched as Carly left. Carly. My best friend. The girl I'd be proud to call my sister. So soft, and girly and weak, but that didn't and never mattered to me. I loved Carly. What would I do without her? The sound of someone yelling, and then a door slamming loudly shocked me out of my thinking. I knew what was up immediately. Carly marched back into the apartment, looking furious.

"Mrs. Benson?" I put a hand on Carly's shoulder.

"Yuh huh!" she exclaimed.

"What now?"

"Well, I knock on the door and ask to see Freddie, right?"

"Right…"

"And she starts full on screaming at me about how bad an influence me and you are on him, and all he does is talk about girls, and how she would never let us see Freddie if we 'kept it up!'"

"That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But anyway, Freddie's at the Groovy Smoothie. Go talk to him, please." Carly pleaded. "I'm really worried about him." I pulled my jacket on, and was half-way out the door when Carly called after me.

"Stay blonde."

"Stay brown!" I yelled back, but she couldn't hear me.

The Groovy Smoothie was almost empty, except for someone familiar sitting at a table. The music was turned up loud. Weird. It vaguely reminded me of when I walked in here last year and found Carly and Freddie dancing. I had felt something strange when I saw them. Now, I realized, it was jealousy. _I_ wanted to be the one in Freddie's arms. But I didn't even like him. Then. Here, in the present, I knew that there was something between us. It didn't have to be love, or friendship, all I knew is that there was some sort of connection between us, and all of that sounded like something out of an awful chick-flick. I knew what I wanted. And mama was gonna get it. I yanked open the door of the smoothie shop, and flinched at the annoying little bell sound. How could I sneak up on Freddie if the stupid bell gave me away? I marched up to his table, and leant over, with my hands spread out. I stared at Freddie, hoping he would look up. He didn't.

"Yo, Fredweenie? You in there?" I tapped the side of his head.

"Keep your hands off of me, Puckett." He growled back.

"What?" My voice softened, and he noticed. I sunk down in the chair in front of me. This was gonna be awkward. I sighed.

"Freddie, what's the problem?" I tried to keep my voice quiet and soft, like Melanie and Carly talk. It didn't work as smoothly as I would have wished. My voice cracked a few times.

"You. You are my problem, Sam." His voice was so cold, I felt like shuddering.

"What'd I do?"

"You have pushed me around, embarrassed me, attacked me – verbally and physically – and done everything in your power to make _me _feel like a loser. And congratulations, Puckett, you've succeeded."

"I…I.." I stuttered. What could I say?

"What you do to me, everyday, its more than a normal person should be able to take." He continued.

"Well, good thing you're not normal?" I tried to make a joke out of it, but it turned into a question.

"That's exactly what I mean! You can't say one sentence without trying to insult me. And I am so sick of it! I am so…" he didn't finish, instead he clenched his teeth, and curled his fingers into fists. This was my chance.

"Freddie, I only came in here for a reason. And that reason was to try and reverse the past. Which will never ever happen. Only if they invent time-travel, which they probably won't. And so if you aren't gonna take three seconds to listen to me, I'm just gonna go, okay? Will that make you happy?" My eyes felt tight, like I was going to cry. Freddie's never seen me cry. A thought occurred to me. Maybe if he sees me cry, then he'll forgive me. Maybe if he sees that tough, angry Sam Puckett can cry for someone, maybe if he sees that tough, angry Sam Puckett can feel guilt, and can regret things she's done, maybe he'll forgive me. Or at least listen to me!

But I wasn't going to take that chance. I brushed the top of his hand with mine, hoping it looked like an accident. I spun around so fast that I almost knocked over a chair, and then raced out of the smoothie shop. I hoped to hear footsteps behind me. There was none. I let one little tear escape. I watched it fall to the ground. And then another, and another. I couldn't stop the tears. I wanted Carly with me. I wanted her to hold me and let me cry, and tell me everything is going to be alright. I wanted Melanie with me, so she could use her logic to help me think of a way out of this mess. I wanted Spencer with me, so we could laugh and talk and forget all our problems. There were so many things I wanted right now, but so many things I wasn't going to get. I wiped away my tears and sat down on the pavement. I needed to think. But I couldn't. Because I had heard the annoying chime from the Groovy Smoothie door. And as far as I knew, Freddie was the only one in there. I noticed footsteps behind me. I noticed someone sitting down beside me.

"You have thirty seconds." Freddie said coldly.

"I..I.." I stuttered again, not knowing how to start.

"Hurry up, Puckett. I actually have a life."

"I, well, I, I've always been a tough person, y'know? Picking on younger kids, that sort of stuff. I only started being a moron to you because you were all gigabyte this and hard-drive that and you seemed like an easy target so I started being a pest. It was only really after I saw you and Carly dancing in the Groovy Smoothie that I thought long and hard about us, and realized that we were never gonna be, and that I've gone over thirty seconds haven't I?"

"Uh, yeah, you have, but… go on. This is interesting." I noticed Freddie's voice had lightened a little.

"Well, I figured that if we were never gonna be some sort of Item, I thought that I had nothing to lose by still being a pain. So I kept it up longer and harder than ever. And then I saw you snap and I thought to myself, what have I done? So I talked to Carly who told me to talk to you and so here I am right now, and all I want is for you to forgive me, and so we might have a chance at someday being an item like you see in all the movies because I realized now that this is what I want!" I couldn't help it. Tears started to fall out of my eyes again. I wanted them to stop. They wouldn't. "I don't want many things, Freddie, I never have. But ever since I met you I knew I wanted one thing." I didn't bother to tell him _what_ I wanted, he could guess himself.

"Sam, are… are you crying?" He reached out two fingers, and wiped a tear off my face. "Oh god, you are!"

"Not often you see the tough girl cry, eh?" I moved his hand from my face. More tears gushed from my eyes. Stupid tear-ducts. Freddie looked at me, long and hard. It was like he was trying to see all of me at once, but he couldn't. His eyes dropped when he realized that I was giving him a questioning look.

"I, uh, Fre..edd..ie.." my word were stopped by more tears. Freddie put his arms around me and held me close.

"Not often you see the victim comfort the bully, eh?" he whispered in my ear. That only induced more tears. What was wrong with me? I put my arms around Freddie's neck and cried into his shoulder.

"Freddie, I'm ruining your shirt." I looked up at him.

"We have a washing machine." I didn't reply. I let the tears pour out of my eyes like they were a tsunami. Freddie pulled away.

"This isn't right." He frowned.

"Huh?"

"I feel funny."

I frowned back. "What, your gonna throw up? Cause if you are, lemme get out of here first." I started to stand up, but he grabbed my arm and kept me down.

"No, I'm not gonna be sick. But the thought that just ran through my head makes me wanna be sick."

"Oh."

"Look, just because I'm not dating Carly anymore doesn't exactly make it alright to date you instead!"

"Just listen to me, Freddie. I don't want to date you. I want us to be close, but not together or anything."

"Isn't that what you…?" Freddie looked confused.

"I meant before that I wanted to give up on the whole 'we hate each other' charade, and just admit that we do have feelings for each other!"

"Now I'm really confused, Sam. You just said that you didn't want us to be together, then you said that you wanted me to admit that I have feelings for you, ultimately making us 'together…..ish'."

"Yeah, I got no idea what I'm talking about now." I admitted.

"Sam…" Freddie sighed. "I'm not denying that I feel something for you… that isn't hatred. But you need to understand, that we can't be together, or date, or anything!"

"I do understand, Freddie, and I'm gonna tell you right now tha-" my phone beeped, a message from Carly. "I've gotta go, Freduccini. See you at school tomorrow."

"Oh…" he looked at his feet.

"You alright?"

"Oh, yeah, it's just that ever since we first kissed, this has been the first time we've actually talk-talked."

"Talk-talked?"

He chuckled under his breath, and his eyes looked a little distant, like he was thinking of something. I noticed his hand was still on my arm. I shook it off, and got up to leave.

"Sam, wait." He said a little anxiously. My eyes narrowed. What was he playing at now? He stood up, and put one hand on my shoulder. I looked around, uncomfortably.

"Just…" he didn't finish. He leaned in, and I panicked.

"Freddie, I-"

"Shhh.." and he pressed his lips to mine. It was an awkward moment. I didn't want to be a part of it. But I wasn't going to ruin it for him. I let him finish kissing me. Once he pulled away, his eyes dropped, embarrassed.

"Freddie!" I groaned. He looked up at me, a little sheepishly. "Awww… little Freddie's embarrassed!" I giggled. He laughed with me.

"Oh, come here, you!" I gave in, and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. "We gonna tell Carly about this?"

"We probably have to. I don't want you to blurt it out under laughing gas again." But he didn't sound cheerful anymore. I wondered why.

"Yeah… that was… a bit… off…" I pulled away from him, and turned to leave. The last image I registered was Freddie with his hands covering his face. But I didn't care. I walked faster and turned into a run. I raced back into Bushwell Plaza. I ignored the screeching from Lewbert, and cheerfully clicked my heels really loudly, just to annoy him. I took the steps by threes. Carly was just closing the door to her apartment. I jammed my hand in the door as she closed it, and wrenched it open. Boy, did I have a story to tell her.


	2. iNeed Help

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Hey guys :) Thanks for your reviews, nice to know that people want me to extend my story. The story was never supposed to continue, but I think I'll throw in some extra story-lines to keep it going. I'm going to be on holiday for the next week, so I'll bring my laptop with me and write some extra chapters for you. For now, I'm just going to give you a little bite from Freddie's POV (it won't be long, I only have a little time) So enjoy!

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Oh. My. God.

I kissed Sam. I kissed Sam. I kissed Sam.  
I told her that I had feelings for her.  
I told her we could never be.  
I. kissed. Sam.

I can't explain it. It just happened. I didn't particularily want to kiss her. But I did. And now... everything feels so weird. If I had the choice, it wouldn't be a dream, but not a nightmare, either. I'm just so confused. So many things are rushing through my head right now. I can't pay attention to anything. I don't know what's wrong. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, fumbling with the buttons and flicking to Carly's number. She knew me well. I pressed Call, thinking about Sam the entire time. Wait! No! Sam would be with Carly, like she always was. I pressed the Hang Up button quickly, and decided to call somebody else who may or may not be able to help me. Spencer. "Pick up, Spencer, pick up." I muttered. After what seemed like an eternity of excessive ringing, Spencer picked up.  
"Hey, Freddo, whats up?"

"Hey, Spencer, can you help me with something?" I tried to sound optimistic. I failed.

"Sure, what?"

"Um... promise not to say anything stupid, or laugh, or anything?"  
"Okay..." I didn't really believe him.  
"I..I.. I kissed Sam!" I almost yelled. My hand flew to my mouth. What if someone heard me?  
There was silence on the other end.  
"Spence?"  
"Um, sorry, but did I hear righ- You kissed Sam?" He almost yelled back.  
"yeah... and I-"  
Spencer cut me off. "Oh boy, does Carly know?"

"Sam probably told her."

"Okay... and how am I supposed to help you with that?"

"Can.. can you ask Carly to talk to Sam for me?"

"Sure, kiddo, but why can't you ask her yourself?"

"Because Sam is with her." I sighed.

"Okay, Freddie, go home. You sound tired. I'll deal with Carly..and Sam."

"No! Not Sam! Don't mention it to Sam!"

"Freddie. Go home. Please. Crash on the couch, go to bed, you really sound like you'll pass out any second now. See you soon."

"Spencer! Not Sam! No!" But he had already hung up. I shoved my phone into my pocket, and trudged into Bushwell Plaza. I sighed, and made my way up the stairs.

Freddie'd had enough for one day.

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**A/N (again): I'm sorry about any dodgy line breaks that may be in future chapters I always have it all set out perfectly in Word, but when it uploads to Fanfiction, it messes up my lines breaks. I'll try and fix it in the future. Also another little note, that on the first chapter, the username Chocopops is my reallife iCarly Australia nickname, so if anyone has the same name in other countries, sorry! See you next week!**


	3. iQuestions

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**A/N: Hey all :) Back from holidays, and wrote a shiny new chapter from Carly's POV. I did a chapter with Carly because in Seddie stories, people tend to leave her out of everything. So I'm going to have Carly involved in this story a lot. I know lots of people don't enjoy heaps of POV switching, but I'm going to have a Sam chapter, then a Freddie, then a Carly. Thanks for your reviews, it does mean a lot to me! One more thing: Sam and Freddie may seem slightly out of character in this chapter. Enjoy!**

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Sam still hadn't come back. It had been ages. I sighed, and got up from the couch. Girly Cow really wasn't that much fun without Sam. I pushed the apartment door closed, when two hands wedged themselves in the gap and ripped the door open.

"Sam?" I pulled her inside. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were red from crying. "Sam!"

"I…I… Carly, I..." she struggled. Instead of helping her finish, I wrapped her into a tight hug, and pulled her to the couch.

"Sam, what happened with Freddie?" I asked. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I added quickly.

"Carly, I want to tell you, I just don't know how to." She pulled away from me, and put her head on my shoulder instead.

"I'm not going to judge you, Sam. You can tell me anything." I ran a hand through a strand of her messy hair, trying to untangle some of the knots.

"Everything just happened so… quickly! Freddie was being all cold to me so I told him that if it made him happy I'd leave, so I did, then he found me, and… and…" she gushed. I rubbed her shoulder.

"Then what happened, Sam?"

"Well, I told him that I… I told him I had feelings for him." Sam stared at her feet. I gasped.

"Sam… what did Freddie, you know, say back?" I put a hand over my mouth. I shouldn't push her to tell me everything. "Wait, Sam, are you… ashamed?"

She nodded silently.

"Why are you ashamed, Sam?" I asked quietly.

"Because… he's Freddie… and I'm Sam… and everyone knows we hate each other…"

"But… you don't, do you?"

"No, I… I don't hate Freddie."

"I know." I whispered. I always knew that Sam didn't hate Freddie, and Freddie didn't hate Sam. She was wrong. Everyone who watched iCarly, everyone at our school, they all knew that my two best friends did _not _hate each other. I looked over at Sam. She was fidgeting, playing with the pocket zips on her jeans and brushing her hair back more often than she normally would. Sam noticed me staring at her, and looked down quickly. She kept opening her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut as soon as she saw me giving her a questioning look. Finally, Sam spoke.

"Um, Carly, I...I want to go home. Could you ask Spencer to take me?" There were more tears in her eyes. I didn't reply. I patted her shoulder, and ran into Spencer's room.

"Spencer? I knocked on the open door. "You in here?"

"Uh-huh, kiddo, I'm just under my bed. You remember that sandwich I lost last month? I found it."

"Ew, don't eat it!" I exclaimed. His head popped up from under the bed.

"I wasn't gunna…" he said sheepishly.

"Right." I rolled my eyes. Spencer gave me his serious face, and then slid out from under his bed.

"Carls, can I… can I just, uh, tell you, uh, something?"

"Well, make it quick. Sam needs a ride."

"Okay, um…" he put his hands on my shoulders and steered me to his bed. I sat down, and looked at him questioningly. "Freddie just called me."

"And?"

"He said that… he said that he um, kissed… Sam." He mumbled.

My mouth dropped open. "Spencer, please don't mess with me."

"It's the truth, ask either one of them."

"Oh... um… well, Sam needs a lift. Can you take her? I need time to think." I glanced around uncomfortably. Freddie kissed Sam? How was it possible? I thought Freddie still loved me! Sure, it got annoying sometimes, but it makes you feel special when someone else considers you special to them. I suddenly felt like I wanted to cry. I felt jealous, that Freddie had found someone special that wasn't me. Me and him, we'd dated for a while, but I knew then that I really did not love him, and that I didn't feel anything for him. I shouldn't be feeling jealous. It made me seem selfish. And I wasn't a selfish person. Was I turning into one?

"Sure thing, kiddo." Spencer replied. He rubbed my shoulder, and ran out the door, tripping on numerous objects on the way out. I heard him calling out to Sam. I needed time to be alone. Instead of hovering in Spencer's bedroom, I trudged up the stairs and into the iCarly studio.

"Freddie… Sam… love… stupid…" I muttered incoherently. I pulled up a beanbag and instead of sitting on it, I laid on my chest, flicking through the feathers, burst balloons, and iCarly ideas cards on the floor that we just couldn't be bothered cleaning away. I got up from the beanbag, and made my way slowly around the room, observing each little decoration on the wall, every little button on Freddie's tech cart. I panicked when I heard the lift coming up. I didn't know whether to hide, or run, or stay where I was. I decided to stay. The lift opened, and the sight of my best tech friend shocked me. He noticed my expression.

"I can go." Freddie's face was tear-stained, and his eyes were red. His clothes were wet from running in the rain. His hair was messy and matted, just like Sam's.

"Freddie. We have to talk."

"About what." His voice was deadpan.

"Uh… sit with me?" I motioned to the beanbags on the ground.

"I'm fine."

"O…kay. Um…"

"Look, I don't have all day, Carly." Freddie's voice was suddenly angry.

"It's… it's about Sam." I sighed. The expression on his face changed, and his lower lip started trembling. He put his hands over his face and turned his back to me.

"I don't wanna talk about Sam."

"Well, we're going to. Sit!"

"No! Let's talk about something else! What's Spencer building?" His voice got loud and cracked in places.

"Eh! Sit!"

"But, I…"

"I said sit!" I commanded. He turned and sat diligently on the hood of the car. I stood in front of him, and put my hands on his shoulders. "Freddie. We are going to talk about Sam, and there is nothing you can do about it. Talk!"

Freddie sighed, and opened his mouth.


	4. iGuilt

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**A/N: Hey all ****I know some people thought Carly was being a right cow to Freddie at the end of the last chapter, but I was trying to show how when Carly wants something, she has to get it or else there will be hell to play. Examples are in iLook Alike when she yells at Spencer for not letting her go to the fight, and in iSaved Your Life when she is yelling at Sam and Spencer to give her the blow-tubes. Also, my chapters do appear to be getting smaller and smaller word-wise. I'll try not to keep that up. I promise a long shiny new chapter in the coming weeks. Anyways, on with a chapter from Sam!**

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I sat patiently, playing with my hair. Carly had been in Spencer's room for a while now. All she had to do was ask him to take me home, and then walk out. I sighed, just as Spencer ran… sort of… from his room, calling my name. You couldn't really call his movement running. It was sort of like hopping, but skipping at the same time, and it also looked like he was really high on something.

"Hey Sam, Sam, Sam!" he yelled at me. Why? I was three feet away from him!

"What, what, what?" I yelled back.

"Carly said you asked her to ask me to take you home!"

"Umm… yeah..." Maybe he _was _high on something.

"Then let's go!" he grabbed my shoulder and pushed me out the door. Suddenly his face changed.

"Hey, Spence, something wrong?" I asked.

"Sam, can we…can we talk?" his expression was somber. Ha, Somber Spencer. That rhymed… I think…

"Umm, sure, about what?" I leaned against the wall, trying to look casual.

"It's about Freddie." He looked at his shoes. "Freddie told me that-"

"First Carly, and now you?" I banged my fist on the wall. "I am _not _having this conversation!"

"Sam, we have to talk about this. Do you want me to talk to Freddie instead?" He was trying to calm me down, I could tell.

"Don't you dare talk to him, Spencer Shay, or I'll have you on your butt faster than you can say fatcake!" I threatened.

"Sam, please, I promised… Carly… I would." I could tell he was lying.

"NO!" I shrieked. "I don't want to talk about Freddie! I don't want to talk about anything! I want to go _home_!"

"Sam!" he put his hands on my shoulders, trying to restrain me.

"No! I will not! Will not _ever _talk about that… that… augh!" I stormed down the hallway. I heard a door closing. Spencer had given up. Spencer didn't give up unless he had a good reason. Guilt washed over me. It was weird, I didn't usually feel… guilty. In fact, I never did. I felt guilty because I made Spencer feel bad. If I kept this up, I won't have any friends. Oh well, who cares. I can still throw balloons filled with mayonnaise at Miss Briggs car, right? Except who would take the blame for me? Not Carly, or Wendy, or Gibby, or Rebecca Berkowitz. Not even that stupid Frednub in apartment 8-D. I sighed, and turned around too quickly to run back into the Shay apartment to apologize. My heart skipped a beat and I screamed as I slipped over my untied shoelaces and down the stairs to whatever-the-hell-was-down-there.

But I didn't care. Who even cared anymore? What was caring anyway?

'Give it up, Sam. Nobody cares for you anymore, and it's all your fault.' My conscience told me. I closed my eyes as I continued to fall.


	5. iTried

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**A/N: I'm back again. I've tried to pack as much into this chapter as possible without it seeming cluttered. Some events may seem a little rushed, too. Also, I don't actually think there is a back-staircase in the Shay apartment. And I am so so sorry about the wait for this chapter, I've been having some computer problems. Anyway, here is a chapter from Freddie! Enjoy! **ALSO!** Freddie wan't supposed to say I love you. That was just a placeholder until I thought of something else, I forgot to edit it out. I'm going to change it, though.**

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"We're going to talk about Sam whether you like it or not. Now, talk!" Carly said firmly.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it again. What could I say to her? I glanced around uncomfortably. I did NOT like this situation.

"Um, Freddie, are you alright?" I saw the concern in Carly's eyes. She touched my cheek, and pulled her hand back when she saw the wetness on her finger. "I… I realize this must be really hard for you Freddie. I'm sorry for trying to force it out of you."

I took her hand, which was still in mid-air, and held it in both of mine.

"I know what happened last time, Carly, y'know, about me and… her… kissing. I get that you feel uncomfortable in this situation. But, I don't want to talk about Sam." I tried to sound comforting.

"Oh… okay." She turned red, and looked down.

"Hey, hey… Carly, c'mon." I said softly.

"I'm tired, Freddie. I want to go to bed." She untangled her fingers from mine, and kissed my cheek. "I truly am sorry… about what just happened."

"Carls, its fine. Remember, we have an iCarly rehearsal tomorrow." I rubbed her shoulder.

"Thanks, Freddie. You really are a great friend." She got up from the car hood, and pressed the lift button. "Bye, Freddie."

"See you later." I decided to take the back-staircase, so I could avoid having to see Sam if she was still here. I walked around the abandoned hallway, and into the locked back entrance of our apartment. I unlocked it, and ran through the house and made a diving tackle for my bed. Now was the time to start thinking.

Thinking about how these were the same Galaxy Wars sheets that were on my bed when Carly first kissed me. Thinking about how Galaxy Wars seemed so childish now, but I never threw the bedding out. Thinking about my ridiculous Nug-Nug costume from a few years back, and how Sam teased me about it. Thinking about Sam. Thinking of our first kiss. Thinking of our second…

It was too much thinking, it made my head spin. I sprung off the bed and wrenched open the window, sticking my head out and breathing in deeply. I felt the wetness on my face, and I already knew that it wasn't the pouring rain from outside. Oh, Seattle. I leaned out further, but a piercing scream almost made me fall out the window. I pulled my head back in too quickly, hitting my head on the window pane. I didn't care.

"Mom!" I called. It was an instant reaction. When I didn't hear a reply, I raced out the door of my apartment and banged my fist on the Shay's door. Nobody came to the door. Carly and Spencer must already be asleep. I raced down the hallway and almost screamed myself when I saw a familiar tangled mess of blonde hair splayed out over the bottom stairs. For two seconds, I panicked. What could I _do_? I knew I would start to cry like a little girl if I saw her face, if I touched her. But I couldn't just _leave _her there. I needed to find someone else to help me, someone who would help me at this time of the night – someone who was strong enough to help Sam. I flipped out my PearPhone, and cringed as I scrolled down to the P section. Oh, I must be insane tonight! Calling _Nevel _for help? What was wrong with me?

"Probably still busy degrading the internet on his stupid website." I joked to myself. I continued scrolling down the Ps, until I found the number I was looking for. I felt so stupid. Why was I even calling him? He probably won't even want to help me; he probably thinks I'm still the freak who tried to hack is computer, but failed. How come I couldn't re-wire that Y2 cable? That was below everything I know! Augh! I was wasting so much time! I shoved my phone back into my pocket and raced down the stairs to Sam. So who cared if I cried like a little kid? Who cares anymore? I tripped over the middle step, and almost lost my balance. I continued running until I reached Sam. I crouched on the bottom step.

"Sam?" I whispered. I slipped a hand under her head and propped her up. "Sam!"

"Freddie?" she whispered. "I… what are you… huh?"

"Shhh… Sam. I'm going to find help."

"Freddie, it hurts." I saw tears welling in her eyes. Those three words made me want to cry. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that I wouldn't cry in front of her. I couldn't help it. A tear fell out of my eye. Just one, poor, lonely tear. Sam noticed.

"Freddie, don't cry. You're a guy. You're strong." She closed her eyes, and leaned her head onto my arm.

"Sam!" she didn't respond. I needed to find help, and fast. I flicked my phone back open, and flicked to the Ms again, and selected Mom. It ringed, and ringed, and ringed. On the eighth ring, a notice flashed on the screen. No credit. I threw my phone at the wall in fury. Why, oh god, why? I needed to find someone myself then. I pulled my jacket off and bundled it up. I put it on the stairs and gently moved Sam's head from my shoulder to the jacket. I stepped over her lightly, and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back." I whispered, then ran out the front doors of Bushwell Plaza, and ran straight into a dark figure. I yelped, and then backed away.

"Freddie!" Mom!

"Mom, mom, Sam's hurt, she fell down the stairs, help her, just do something!" I yelled, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"Oh my goodness," She rushed over to Sam and began feeling her arms and legs. "We need to get her to a hospital."

I sat by Sam, stroking her cheek and running my hand through her soft blonde hair. The ambulance arrived in minutes. They loaded her in the back on a stretcher.

"Are you a legal parent or guardian?" The paramedic asked my mom.

"No, but I am a qualified nurse." She replied.

"Well, I'll need you to come with Samantha in the ambulance, seeing as you are the adult who found her." He motioned for mom to climb into the van. I followed her in, but they held me back.

"Sorry, we can't let you in." he said as he began closing the doors.

"No… NO! You have to let me in… you just let my mom in and because…" I started panicking.

"Because what?" the paramedic sighed.

"Because… I… I _know _Sam! She's my _best friend_! You can't do this!" I yelled back, unthinkingly. **(A/N: This was the changed sentence. I uploaded the wrong chapter)** Mom and the paramedic looked at me in shock just as Sam opened her eyes. She stared at me with wide eyes as the ambulance doors closed and they drove off. I walked back into the building, and the realization of what I just yelled sunk in. I dropped to my knees, and put my head in my hands. I heard a small sob, and looked up to see Spencer with his hand on Carly's shoulder, standing at the foot of the stairs. Carly broke free from Spencer and ran over to me. She sat next to me, with her arms around me. She stroked my hair, and let me cry all my tears. After a few minutes, Spencer walked over to us, and helped me up.

"Stay with us tonight, kiddo." He put his hand on my shoulder, and Carly put her arm around my waist, and we walked silently into the waiting lift.

When we got to the Shay's apartment, Spencer immediately ran into his room. I could tell he wanted to give us some space. As soon as he was out of sight, Carly collapsed onto the couch, and cried so long and hard it hurt me too. I wrapped my arms around her and comforted her until she fell asleep in my arms. I continued stroking her hair until she stopped shaking.

I put my head on her shoulder, and soon I was asleep too.


	6. iKnow He's Not My Freddie

My eyes flickered open, and I gasped as I remembered the events of last night. Sam falling. Ambulance. Freddie crying. Me crying. Spencer distressed. Me in Freddie's arms. Wait, _me in Freddie's arms_? No! Not right! He is Sam's Freddie, not mine! I'm not taking Freddie from Sam. Would never, ever, take Freddie from Sam. I twisted out of his embrace, and tip-toed to Spencer's bedroom. I knocked softly, but nobody came to open it. Spencer must already be out with Socko or something. I turned around and decided to fix me and Freddie some breakfast. His mom would still be at the hospital, or with Sam's mom, or at work. I wasn't going to send Freddie back to an empty house. Not with all the pressure he's under right now. I opened the fridge, and tried to find something edible. Obviously Spencer hadn't had a chance to go shopping after Sam's last kitchen raid. I reached up to the top cabinet and pulled down a cereal box.

"Fiber Nuts it is, then." I said quietly to myself. I reached into the fridge again to get some milk, and set it down onto the countertop. I heard footsteps behind me.

"Hey, Carly. Sleep alright?" Freddie said groggily.

"Okay, I guess… you?" I replied lightly, and pulled out some bowls and spoons.

"Fiber Nuts?"

"It's a quality cereal!" I tried to lighten the mood. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a better explanation.

"Sam finished off the bacon and eggs." I explained.

"Ah." Freddie nodded. "Um, Spencer left a few hours ago to see if Sam is okay…"

"Oh." I looked away. Why didn't Spencer wake us up to go see Sam as well?

"Well, seeing as there isn't much edible food here, why don't you put the Fiber Nuts away and we can go get some normal food, save Spencer a job." He offered.

"Um, sure, do you wanna get changed at your place?" I was taken aback by his offer. Why would Freddie offer for us to go together? I bet I was the last person he wanted to talk to, after last night and my rant.

"I left my keys in my room…" he said sheepishly.

"Oh, not a problem. Sam taught me a few lock-picking skills. I told her not to, but she said 'I may need it in the future'. Guess she was right, huh?" I laughed at his expression. He looked so goofy when he was embarrassed. "C'mon." He followed me out the door. I knelt by the lock on his apartment door with my hair –pin poised for action.

"Uh, Carly, wait." He looked at his feet. I got up and leant against his door.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh, can we, after I mean… go to see…" I could see tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Freddie, of course we can. Please don't cry, please don't." I pulled him into a hug. "Don't cry, Freddie. Everything's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay." I said into his shoulder.

"You know how I feel about her." He replied.

"I know, Freddie. Come on, get ready, and we can go out and forget about everything for a little while, alright?" I pulled away and knelt by his lock. He peered over my shoulder in anticipation. He doesn't think I can do it!

"You don't think I'll be able to do it, don't you!"

"Noo…."

"Freddie…"

"Okay, I don't think you'll be able to pick the lock… I mean… y'know." He looked at his feet again.

"Alright then. If I can pick this lock, you'll have to pay for half of the shopping today. And if I can't, I have to be your personal slave for the rest of this month." I challenged.

"Deal." He shook my hand, and leant against his apartment door. Suddenly the door burst open and left him sitting on the ground, rubbing his head. "Ow."

"Uh, yeah, ow!" I helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm thinking we should have checked to see if the door was _open _before we you tried to pick the lock." He laughed, and walked into his apartment.

"Don't forget your keys!" I called.

"I won't!" he called back.

I bounced down the stairs, wearing a pink singlet and my favourite Denim jacket. I wore black jeans, because if I wore my blue jeans, I'd look like some 80's freak or something, all decked in denim. Freddie was sitting on the couch, watching one of my Girly Cow DVDs. He turned when he heard me coming down the stairs, and smiled at me.

"You ready to go?" he got up and leant against the door. Thankfully, this time it was locked.

"Yep, but I think that we need something to eat before we go." My 'motherly' instincts kicked in. Seriously, I was the one who was taking care of Spencer all these years, not the other way around. I grabbed a couple of Fatcakes from the cupboard and tossed one to Freddie.

"Fatcakes?"

"Yeah, sorry. I said we only had the basic necessities, didn't I?" I ripped open the packaging and took a baby bite of Fatcake. It had been so long since I'd had one of these, I'd forgotten how delicious they were. Freddie had already devoured half of his.

"C'mon, let's go." I hooked my bag off the edge of the couch and made my way to the door. "Okay, we can either walk, or get a taxi. Walking gets tiring, but a taxi costs money."

"How about we take the lift to the lobby, then we can walk there, and we take a taxi home because we'll have heaps of bags. We drop off the bags here while the taxi waits for us, and then we go see Sam?" he suggested brightly. Only half an hour ago he was totally depressed. What happened?

"Uh… sure…" I spun around, pulling Freddie with me. I lead him into the waiting lift.

We were walking down the street behind Bushwell Plaza... silently. I decided to break the ice by asking him the question that had been bugging me for so long.

"Freddie, you seem so… happy! What happened in your room?" I looked at him questioningly.

"I… uh… I got a text from… Sam." He said finally.

"Sam! But you aren't meant to have phones on in the hospital! Oh, Sam." I rolled my eyes. "Could I… see the message?"

"Sure, Carly… it's nothing personal, really." He pulled his phone from his pocket. The first thing I noticed when he handed it to me was the call history.

"Nevel Papperman?" I exclaimed.

"It's a really, really long story." He turned red.

"You don't have to tell me, then… on second thought, I do actually want to know."

"What are your theories, first?" he laughed.

"Are you in cahoots with Nevel Papperman?" I asked seriously. To my surprise, he burst out laughing.

"What?" I tried to keep from laughing too. Obviously, laughter _was _contagious.

"Cahoots." He shook his head, and chuckled under his breath. "Just… just read the message."

"Okay then," I went to his message box, and found a recent message from Sam. I showed the phone to Freddie. "Is this the one?" I asked. He nodded.

"Read it out." Freddie said.

"Okay, um, it says 'Hi Fredbags, I'm doing okay, just broken and bruised. Hope you and Carls come to visit me soon. Sam." I couldn't help but smile. Sam's okay? Sam's okay! I threw my arms around Freddie.

"Sam's okay!" I shrieked. I felt his arms around my waist. It felt nice. "Oh, Freddie, she's really going to be okay! I was so worried!" I pulled away, and looked at him. He stared back. It wasn't awkward or anything, us staring at each other. After a few seconds, I wondered what to do. I blinked, and suddenly I didn't feel like me anymore. Freddie's face was _right there. _I remembered that time when we dated that he asked me to kiss him one last time. Well, this time I was going to. I leaned in and quickly kissed his lips. Suddenly I felt like me again, and I pulled away immediately.

I kissed Sam's Freddie. I felt horrible. Tears sprung to my eyes. My stomach felt sick, and I put my hands over my face.

I kissed Sam's Freddie. I was really such an awful person. My best friend was in hospital, and I kissed the one guy that she had feelings for.

I kissed Sam's Freddie.


End file.
